Door-latch.



v E. P. HARLEY.

- DOOR LATCH. APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, I917- 1,234,661.

Patented July 24, 191? 129.1. A

4 TTOR/VEYS ERS'KINE POLK HARLEY, OF FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS.

DOOR-LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 24, 1917.

Application filed May 9, 1917. Serial No. 167,402.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERSKINE POLK HAR- LEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Fort Smith, in the county of Sebastian and State of Arkansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Door-Latches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in door latches, and has for its object to provide a simple, inexpensive device of the character specified, especially adapted for use on automobiles, refrigerators and the like, wherein a slight pressure or a hard slam in closing the door will cause the latch to act instantly and surely, and wherein there is no possibility of the door being opened until the latch is operated, and wherein the commencement of the movement of the latch to release the door automatically opens the door, to prevent the sticking and jamming of the door.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view of the improved latch, with the door closed;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows adjacent the line;

Fig. 3 is an edge view of the door casing,

showing the latch;

Fig. 4 is a similar view of the door showing the catch.

The present embodiment of the invention is shown in connection with a door 1 which is arranged within the usual casing, and the improved latch comprises a shaft or bolt 3, having at each end a handle 4:, said handles being secured to the shaft in any suitable manner, as, for instance, by threading them on to the shaft.

The shaft or bolt is journaled in escutcheon plates 5-5 which are secured to the casing in any suitable manner, as, for instance, by screws 6. One of these escutcheon plates, 5 in the present instance, is provided with an extension 7 which acts as an abutment against which the door closes, to prevent overmovement of the door.

The bolt or shaft 3 is journaled in a recess 8 in the edge of the casing, and within this recess a sleeve 9 is secured to the bolt. This sleeve has two cam lugs 10 and 11, and the said lugs are designed to coiiperate with a catch 12 held on a plate 13 which is secured within a recess 4: in the edge of the door,

the said recess 14 registering with the recess 8 when the door is closed. It will be noticed that the catch 12'has a cam lug 15, which has a bevel face 16, with which the lug 10 is adapted to cooperate to close the door tightly, and the lug rests upon the catch when the door is closed. The lug 11 cooperates with the straight end of the catch to force the door open when the latch is turned, that is, to force the free edge of the door out of the casing.

In operation, when the parts are in the position of Figs. 1 and 2, and it is desired to open the door, one of the handles 4 is operated to turn the latch in a direction to lift the lug 10 out of engagement with the upper edge of the catch 12. This movement swings the lug 11 with its bevel edge in engagement with the end 17 of the catch, and the door is forced partially open, the free edge being forced out of the casing. When the door is closed, the bevel face of the lug 11 will engage the end 17 of the catch 12, and the latch will be operated to swing the lug 10 in behind the lug 15 of the catch, thus locking the door, and whether the door is closed with a slam or gently the result will be the same.

The improved latch is especially designed for automobile doors, refrigerator doors and the like, and when the door is open it may be closed without raising the handle, since thelatch works automatically in raising the handle.

I claim:

1. In combination with a door andthe casing, of a latch comprising a shaft journaled transversely of the casing in the edge thereof and provided at each end with a handle, a catch in connection with the door, said casing and door being recessed to receive the bolt and the catch respectively, and the bolt having cam lugs for engaging the catch to latch the door in closed position when the bolt is oscillatedin one direction and to force the door partially open when the bolt is oscillated in the opposite direction, said lugs of the bolt being beveled at the same side, and the catch having a bevel lug for engagement by one of the lugs of the latch to force the door closed.

2. In combination with a door and the hand1e,a catch in connection with the door, When the bolt is oscillated in the opposite said casing and door being recessed to redirection.

ceive the bolt and the catch respectively, ERSKINE POLK HARLEY and thc bolt having cam lugs for engaging the catch to latch the door in closed posi- 1 Witnesses:

tion whenthe bolt is oscillated in one direc- J. R. WOODS,

tion and to force the door partially open ALLAN KENNEDY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G! 

